The invention concerns a liquid distribution device for fluid cooling devices particularly for cooling towers, comprising at least one primary distribution pipe or at least one primary distribution trough, wherein a plurality of secondary distribution pipes are connected to the at least one primary distribution pipe or the at least one primary distribution trough, wherein the secondary distribution pipes are furnished with nozzles. Moreover, the invention concerns a fluid cooling device particularly for cooling towers comprising a liquid distribution device according to the invention.
Cooling towers and also liquid distribution devices for cooling towers are known in general from the prior art so that separate supporting documentation by printed publications is not required here.
In fluid cooling devices, generally a liquid is guided past a gas for the purpose of energy transfer. In this context, cooling action is either intended for the liquid or for the gas wherein always a partial quantity of the liquid also evaporates but also condenses again. Conversely, heating of one of the two fluids that are guided past each other may be intended with principally the same configuration of the fluid cooling device. This is then a fluid heating device. In order to be able to achieve in any case an energy transfer as good as possible between the two fluids, a liquid cooling device is always provided by means of which the liquid is distributed as uniformly as possible across the cross-section of the apparatus, i.e., the cooling tower. In case the liquid is not evaporated or vaporized completely within the device, the remaining liquid can be collected in a suitable catching device.
Cooling towers serve for cooling a fluid, for example, a liquid. Often, the fluid to be cooled is water. However, acid cooling towers are also in use, i.e., an acid is cooled in the cooling tower by means of ambient air, also in accordance with the principle of evaporative cooling. However, other liquids or gases can be cooled also within the cooling tower, for example, air for the purpose of air conditioning of rooms.
All of these fluid cooling devices comprise a liquid distribution device for uniform spraying of the liquid to be cooled, as disclosed particularly in EP 2 304 372 B1. The liquid distribution device described therein comprises a plurality of distribution pipes which are connected to at least one common infeed pipe at the liquid side. The pipes all have a round cross-section wherein in this context the distribution pipes each are connected by means of one of their two ends in longitudinal direction with the infeed pipe by means of cutouts in the sidewall of the infeed pipe.
A liquid distribution device of the aforementioned kind is moreover disclosed in US 2011/0210456 A1. It comprises a primary distribution pipe to which are connected secondary distribution pipes provided with nozzles. The primary distribution pipe is arranged within a carrier, the carrier having a substantially rectangular configuration. The secondary distribution pipes with a circular cross-section are suspended from a support construction and are not connected directly to the primary distribution pipe but with intermediate connection of a respective connecting socket to the primary distribution pipe.
EP 0 168 525 A2 discloses also a liquid distribution device of the aforementioned kind. It comprises primary distribution pipes as well as secondary distribution pipes furnished with nozzles. In this context, the primary distribution pipes as well as the secondary distribution pipes are embodied with a circular cross-section and can be formed of a glass fiber reinforced plastic.
Even though in particular round pipe cross-sections have proven valuable in practice as a result of their excellent flow properties, strength properties, and manufacturing properties, there is a need for improvement in regard to various aspects.
In general, pipes of weight-saving plastic materials such as polyvinyl chloride (PVC), polypropylene (PP), glass fiber reinforced plastic (GRP), and polyethylene (PE) are used for easier assembly and for avoiding corrosion damage. When these lightweight pipes are filled with water in operation, these pipes have the tendency to sag, in particular at higher temperatures of e.g. up to 60° (maximum limitation of use of PVC). In case of emptying, the water can no longer drain and freezes at freezing temperatures and the pipes can break in the worst case. Indeed, with the material selection GRP, PP or others the maximum temperature of use can still be increased. The material GRP has also generally higher strength properties so that one can counteract said problem of sagging. However, manufacture of pipes from these materials, in particular from GRP, is very complex which, as a consequence, leads to uneconomical production costs of such pipes.
Since round pipes are resting only with linear contact on the load-bearing beams, the problem of stability is even more exacerbated. As a result, relatively tight support spacings of the load-bearing beams of the cooling tower must be selected in order to avoid sagging and the resulting damages. This increases in a disadvantageous way the construction expenditure of the liquid distribution device and leads thus to a cost increase of the entire construction.
In practice, it has become accepted practice to install the drift eliminators of a cooling tower, which are preferably designed as baffle separators, transversely across the round pipes of the water distribution piping. The individual baffles, assembled to arrays of the drift eliminator, are resting however only with point contact on the round pipes. Since for material saving reasons, relatively thin baffles of PVC, PP etc. are employed, the baffles over time will sag in this context and are damaged until they can no longer fulfill their function anymore.
Based on the afore described, the object of the invention is to further develop a liquid distribution device of the aforementioned kind in such a way that the afore described disadvantages of the prior art are overcome.